Final night of league action for WTL in Hiroshima
Sunday night sees World Tag League hit Hiroshima for the final night of league action before the top two teams face off in Ryogoku on December 15.
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Main event: CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (8-2) vs Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) (8-2)
Direct tag record: 2-0 Dangerous Tekkers
A win for either team guarantees a final place
It was back in July that Dangerous Tekkers, immediately after recapturing the IWGP Tag Team Championships in the Tokyo Dome from Tetsuya Naito and SANADA, were challenged by Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI. After initial rejection, the CHAOS side got their wish partially granted when they faced both former champions in a three way at the MetLife Dome, but now they finally have the chance to address the 0-2 record against the IWGP Tag team Champions.
In the process, they can change the shape of Wednesday’s Ryogoku final. With both teams at 8-2 16 point records, they each have control over their own destinies. A win and they’re in Wednesday’s finals, and a big step toward their first WTL trophies.
6th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) (-) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) (7-3)
An LIJ win guarantees a final place
HOUSE OF TORTURE must win, and have United Empire lose
Tetsuya Naito may have pledged for he and SANADA to win every single one of their World Tag League matches, but now at a record and going right down to the wire, it’s possible that El Ingobernale enjoys the drama all the more. Especially when this critical league match will have he and his partner opposite their respective former tag team partners. No Limit were the first ever tag team to win gold in both junior and heavyweight divisions, and after the Yujiro and Naito singles encounter scheduled for G1 Climax 31 was called off due to Naito’s knee injury, here is a chance for reunion.
Meanwhile EVIL and SANADA are already World Tag League winners- with one another. Their back to back tag leagues and back to back Wrestle Kingdom tag title wins are now long behind them but the former partners now seek glory with their new partners; to do that, victory is essential in this main event clash.
5th Match: United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare) (7-3) vs Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (6-4)
G.o.D are mathematically eliminated.
United Empire must win and have LIJ lose
Finalists, or active in the final day of the league in every WTL they’ve been a part of since 2016, the Guerrillas of Destiny’s exit from mathematical contention with a two matches still to wrestle was a major shock to everyone, including the seven time IWGP Tag Team Champions. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa will now have to take a step back to re-evaluate the tag landscape in New Japan, but the league isn’t done yet, and nor are the brothers willing to give ground up to the upstart team of Great-O-Khan and Aaron Henare.
With key tiebreakers earned against HOUSE OF TORTURE, LIJ and Dangerous Tekkers, the United Empire side has had an extremely impressive inaugural World Tag League run. But wit heir spot in the final not yet all the way guaranteed, the Dominator and the Ultimate Weapon still have their work cut out for them against the record setting G.o.D.
4th Match: Be-Bop Tag League (Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi)(6-4) vs BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) (6-4)
Both teams are mathematically eliminated
With a 6-4 record across their ten matches, Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale remained a persistent factor through the league right up until near the very end. No doubt the most impressive of their runs in the tournament to date, and threatening if not, yet, outscoring Toru Yano and Hiroshi Tanahashi to boot.
A win over Hiroshi Tanahashi was a key moment in Chase Owens’ G1 Climax campaign, and both he and Fale have made it a long term mission to put Yano in his place. Can they do just that to end their WTL 2021, and finish above the Be-Bop Tag team in the process?
3rd Match: Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) (1-9) vs Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask (1-9)
Both teams are mathematically eliminated
The veteran teams of World Tag League 2021 haven’t exactly gotten the results they wanted. With just four points between the two teams, GBH and Nagata and Tiger both badly want to end their league on a high tonight.
2nd Match: TenCozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) (2-7) vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & TAKA Michinoku) (0-10)
Both teams are mathematically eliminated
With a four point record, TenCozy have fared slightly better than their Hontai compatriots in WTL, and will look to get a win tonight against the dead last pairing of Minoru Suzuki and TAKA Michinoku. Suzuki-Gun have been embarrassed and irritated by their win loss record, and may well be seeking more to wreak havoc than to get an academic two points here.
1st Match: Ryohei Oiwa (0-0-12 this tour) vs Kosei Fujita (0-0-13 this tour)
With the card for Ryogoku on December 15 yet to be determined, this could be the last chance on the tour for Ryohei Oiwa or Kosei Fujita to finally score their first win. After over two hours in the ring on this tour, is this finally the day for someone to get their first W?
